-The Telegraph Kolkata: Seedbeds are not yet ready in vast stretches of Bengal's rice bowl because of poor rainfall, raising the prospect of a slump in production and showing up the inability of catchy slogans alone in making farming less of a gamble in the monsoon. Rainfall in the four major rice-producing districts of Bengal till Monday was around 50 per cent less than the normal average, officials in the agriculture department...

-The Hindu Kathmandu: Greater cooperation is necessary to protect the fragile ecology of the Himalayas, the world's youngest mountains facing unprecedented human encroachment, concluded the team of Nepali and Indian journalists and researchers that gathered in Kathmandu on Monday to assess the disaster brought by the floods last month. The programme, titled "Ganga-Mahakali catchment disaster" was organised by the Nainital-based People's Association for Himalaya Area Research (Pahar) and the Kathmandu-based Himal Southasian...

-PTI PATNA: A day after deaths due to contaminated midday meal at a government primary school in Saran district, about 50 children of another government school were taken ill on Wednesday after they were served food under the scheme in Madhubani district of the state. The food was served to students of Navtolia Middle School, Bisfi, about 22 km from here. The students alleged that the meal had a dead lizard in...

-The Times of India BADOPAL (FATEHABAD): The undulating semi-arid landscape of Badopal village, about 10km from Fatehabad town, is a haven for blackbucks. About 500 blackbucks, deers, neelgai (blue bull) and other species inhabit the area, which has abundant food and other sources necessary for the survival of these animals. However, this habitat faces an uncertain future ever since Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) acquired around 185 acres of land...

-The Times of India PATNA: Eleven children have died and several others have been taken ill after eating infected midday meal at a government school in Saran district. The incident took place in Dharamsati primary school in Masrakh in Saran. According to reports, over 50 children, all in the age group of 8 to 12 years, were taken ill after consuming khichdi, offered to them in midday meal. The children fell ill soon after...